Vehicles of different types have been developed which are intended to provide transport for men, equipment and materials to and from job sites over all types of terrain, including deep water. They have also been intended to support human resources at remote locations with shelter, safety and facilities and to provide a source of power attachments, accessories and associated power equipment. For the most part, attempts to provide such a vehicle have not been successful because of the complexity and cost of such a vehicle.
Oil companies are always interested in new technologies which can be used to improve oil spill recovery/rehabilitation processes. There is always a problem of transportation from a ship, boat or barge to the beach along shorelines and from the beach to land access roads. It is desirable that a single vehicle be able to accomplish these tasks and the vehicle should be amphibious and that the vehicle provide a power supply for hydraulic, mechanical and electrical attachments and accessories. Such a vehicle should also be capable of hauling personnel, equipment and materials at reasonable speeds over sand, mud and swamp so as to provide quick and effective access to many remote shoreline areas.
Conventional track vehicle systems generally consist of a frame, drive sprockets at either end or above the track frame and a series of idlers, with some means of flexibility to provide distribution of weight over rough terrain. This style of construction is typically found in the latest tanks of the U.S. Army and amphibious equipment of the U.S. Navy. Such a system is used on snow machines where improved ground loading is accomplished with wider tracks and maneuverability is provided with more power and counter rotating hydrostatic drives. The only significant entry in the SAE Journal since 1965 under the topic "Tracked Vehicles" is a Caterpillar Challenger. This is a vehicle with large V-belts for treads molded into the surface that is designed for less compaction on flat farmlands when pulling soil preparation mechanisms.
A need exists for a vehicle that can accomplish all of these tasks while being simple and rugged in construction and capable of withstanding loads of many different types notwithstanding the terrain over which the vehicle must move. The present invention satisfies this need.